How to correct liquid sourdough strenght

Mature liquid sourdough

Hello folks ! Have been a while since I did not post here, but the book, the baking itself and sport duties don't conceed me a lot of spare time...
I had the idea to write this piece while I was looking some feeds on Instagram and I figure that some people (either pro and home bakers) had the same problem with liquid sourdough.
The main issue was a lack of activity (or strenght) and a strange smell/flavor that was not typically related to sourdough. Since the acidity was good, (let's say around 3,8 to 4,2 ph), as well as proofing times and temps, the problem was obviously generated from some bacterias contamination. It's not quite easy for sourdough to be contaminated, but in some cases, even if one works with the right hygiene protocol it happens. If the levain have been suffering some stress, in example very long fermentations with either low starter inoculation and/or low temperatures (like in winter), the natural barriers from external bacterias may not work. Infact just the use of an organic flour which brings some different bacterias strains than usual can give problems of this kind.
What to do if refreshing after refreshing the issue does not solve?
The most secure (and drasthic) option is to toss the sour and make a new one from zero....
Obviously no one want to loose their beloved levain :)
Here is a method to try (with success most of the times) to bring back in strenght our sourdough.
First, we need to refresh it one time with this formula: 1:4:2 (starter:strong flour:water), mix it until a developed dough is formed (dough temp 25c) and let ferment 8 hours at 26-28c covered.
With a knife, cut the peel off and take only the heart of our stiff starter. Cut the center in 1cm slices and put them into a solution of 28c water with 0,1% white sugar for 15 minutes. (Water should be 5 parts greater than sourdough weight and 0,1% white sugar calculated on water weight). Be careful to not dissolve the slices in the water by using a gentle touch. Repeat the process, (refreshment and bath), until you loose the off flavor and solve the issue.
After that, the stiff starter can be converted again in liquid sourdough by proceeding with a couple (or three) feedings in which you augment the water %.
NB. this process can be used also for too acidic sourdoughs but not for yeasty ones.
Hope this will serve and I wish you many great "Natural Leavenings"

Ps. I found a transaltor for the book so it will be released quite soon in English ! :D

Wallpaper

Ciao cari bakers ! Per celebrare un anno di Instagram e la fine della stesura del libro "Lievitazioni Naturali" che raccoglie un po le migliori panificazioni, eccovi un piccolo regalo che spero sia gradito :)
Il wallpaper di uno dei miei pani preferiti: Il pane di Campagna scuro
Il link per il download lo trovate in fondo. Ciao e buone panificazioni !

Hello dear bakers ! To celebrate one year of Instagram and the finishing of the book "Natural Leavenings" which resume the best recipes, here it is a little present that I hope will be  appreciated :)
A wallpaper of one of my favorite breads: The Country brown bread
Download link is at the end. Bye and good bakings !



https://we.tl/VZDFMY23eq

Different dough folding methods: why and when apply

A proper fermented soft dough, folds allowed develope the strenght to retain gases

Hello everyone ! Have been a while since I wrote the last article on the blog.

I have been very busy preparing and organizing a class, and a two days international workshop with a very special guest baker from Spain, the master and high hydration specialist, Juan Luiz Estevez !

To learn more please check my Instagram or Facebook accounts.

But now it’ s time to accomplish my duty, and as I promised, write more in-depht guide on dough folding.

First of all, what does it means folding a dough ? Basically it’ s a tech applied during the bulk fermentation phase, which consists of fold the dough over itself stretching and releasing it gently.

Why we do that ? Because stretching the relaxed gluten allows the strands to organize in a better way and, for this reason, the gluten web get stronger and less extensible.

Also, proper folding makes fermentation better:

new oxygen being introduced in the dough;

microorganisms get distributed in a more even way;

dough temperature gets more uniform.

So now it’ s time to take a deeper view on the practical side, and check the main different folding methods.

I suggest to use for every method a different container for the dough. All of those containers must be previously oiled up.

Is possible also to do the folds free, on a bench but this involves the use of flour.

Because we don’t want to introduce new flour in the dough, I prefer to use containers and also to rinse the hands with water, this will prevent dough to stick.

The most simple, and most used, folding method is the 4 ways fold a.k.a. letter fold.

It should be performed in a square container and basically consists of fold each opposite side of the dough over it’ s own center and then flip it with the seam side down.

This method is suitable for soft and extensible doughs without too much hydration.

Should be performed in the first hour or two of the bulk fermentation, with regular intervals (45 minutes 1h etc..)

Another important method is the “ciabatta” fold, as I like to call it.

Basically enrolling on itself the dough, up to bottom, with a semi-circular motion, for 3 or 4 times.

This really works good for wet and extensible doughs; it gives a lot of strenght and doesn’ t stress the guten too much.

As the previous method, should be performed in the first two hours of bulk phase.

Last but not least, the “clock” folding method. Is the one I prefer for less extensible doughs, as I feel it performs better. The gentle strech prevents the gluten strands to tear down and brake the structure.

This is better done in a round container and it’ s performed taking small portions of the rounded dough and fold them to the center while turning the container clockwise with the other hand.

Previous rules on timing apply here too.

Hope you will have fun trying those techniques ! Please let me know how it goes or if anything is not clear enough :)

Dough Folding

Hello everyone!
This article that will talk about a well known method every sourdough baker practice: Folding the dough.
Also known as s&f (stretch and fold) I prefer to call this important step just dough folding.

Now, let' s see why this passage is important in baking and even more in sourdough baking.

When we mix a dough, we always want to look for its final temperature, as well as its strenght and level of gluten development (where strenght is the relation between elasticity and extensibility, not absolute strenght).
We all know that those are important parameters to control (have a look to previous articles if you missed something).

Well, folding the dough affects those parameters quite a lot. Let' s see why:

Temperature:


When a dough is mixed, it's then stored in a food grade container, (usually plastic), which have a volume 3 to 4 times bigger than the dough itself. This is called bulk phase.
As the word says, the dough is here stored in big quantity to be able to develope the wanted charactheristics of flavour, strenght and volume.
Because most of the time we store the dough at a different Temperature from the room, doing folds during the bulk stage allows to create a uniform grade of T in the dough.
In a very close relationship with this, folding helps also to distribute gases and bacterias, scattering them through the dough.
This is also very helpfull to the fermentation.


Strenght:


Really important dough feature, it will estabilish how to process the dough in the shaping and proofing phase.
Meanwhile with commercial yeast, is hard to have to augment a dough strenght because the amount of gases produced by yeast during the proofing phase garantee a dough strenghtening; In sourdough baking is much more useful (and even more with high hydration doughs) because less gases are produced during fermentation stage.
Applying a number of fold/s during the bulk stage, at regular intervals, will give strenght to a dough.
Those foldings should be gentler as they are performed towards the end of this phase, to avoid gases loss (that will generate a loss of volume and flavours).
I will give a few but great tips for folding in the "secret" section next on!



Gluten development:


Very related to dough strenght (but not the only cause, gluten development is also a key element. It will state the dough capacity to retain gases and so, to augment volume during the proofing and cooking phase.
While folding our dough, gluten strands are gently stretched, and they create a more regular net to trap the gases.
The more foldings we do, the more regular and tight will be the gluten net, and therefore the crumb structure.

Understanding the flour

A balanced dough on the bench waiting  for scaling 

...

Autumn came, with the first snow and made everything quiter. The forest is getting coated by those beautiful colors, which every year amaze me. So beautiful is nature!

I got a beautiful smelling cup of grey tea with honey, so I can start write this piece.

...

Sometimes we want to replicate a bread recipe, or we want to try a well known one but using a new kind of flour and the result isn' t as expected. Maybe the dough comes out too stiff (in which case is easier to correct) or maybe it comes out almost batter-like. 

Altough can be many the factors that lead to a not-so-good result while execute a bread recipe, a missread of the flour used can be the most recurring (and most of the time a problem for the inexperienced baker).

Without writing down a copy of the many existant technical guides to flour's rheology; I want to share my personal opinion learnt throught the experience.

When a proper balance is estabilished within flour and other ingredients, also the shaped dough will be balanced. 

But, before that, I ll try to resume in a few words the most important flour carachteristics involved into the baking process.

1.Quality of proteins and level in percentage:

Two distinct aspects which are very important. I should say the most interesting of the two is proteins quality; When they are good, we can expect a nice development of the gluten net. 

Even if the proteins are low, but of a good kind, we are able to make a nice bread dough without many problems.

On the other hand, we can expect less water absorbtion.

Assuming we have the same protein quality, the flour which will have a higher percentage, will develope a stronger gluten net and will absporb more water.

2.Elasticity and extensibility of the gluten strands:

It' s strictly related to the proteins quality (another time we can see that the quality is very important).

A flour can produce gluten which is really elastic and not extensible as well as the opposite or a blend of the two characteristics in different rapport.

When we have a good protein quality, we will have a balanced rapport between elasticity and extensibility, making the dough easy to work with.

My opinion is that when we try a new flour, (in a empyric way, without having flour sheets) we have to carefully "read" it. 

The way it mix with water, how much liquid can absorb without a proper mixing, if when stretched we feel stiffness or a lack of resistance...

All of those little things we should feel and be able to understand. 

With this kind of knowledge, we will be able to decide if more water is needed (or maybe less water then the original recipe); If a fold or more are needed, which will be the amount of bulk fermentation time required and so on...

This is just a guideline, there are so many variables that it' s not possible to mention every possible scenery. 

However, I hope that I will give something to you to think about next time you mix a new dough.

Sincerly, 

Matteo

Salt, this stranger

Himalayan pink salt

Salt is one of the four ingredients in regular bread baking.
I would say it' s a key ingredient because it gives to doughs different properties.

We will see later which are the most known as well as the unknown ones.
But before of that, we could take a couple minutes to think about Salt.

The mineral which in the medieval times was so precious can be found of many different types: refined, unrefined, fine coarse, gross coarse, crystals or enriched, and so on...

The most common is the white salt either coming from mountain caves/ salted deserts or made by letting evaporate sea water with industrial or artisan methods.

In france (Normandy coast) they extract a grey salt which have less salty taste but great other qualities. The color come from seaweed and other minerals.

Always in France but in the south coast of Camargue, a very special salt is extracted: Le fleur de Sel
It has fine crystals (flowers) which are delicate in taste as well as texture and they dissolve faster in a water solution.

In the Himalayan region, a pink salt is produced. Usually unrefined, is harder but have a gentle taste. It' s a fossil salt and so is very pure.

From hawaii islands comes a black salt which have been naturally enriched by carbon from the vulcanic activity of those isles. Also less refined tend to be heavy in taste but is good for our gut.


However, in bread bakin, we dissolve salt into water and percentages are low (usually from 1,5% to 2,8%) therefore any difference in taste is not really noticed in the final product.
The only exception is iodium enriched salt, which tend to give a bitter note to the breads.
For this reason I can suggest to not use it.


The most obvious aspect of adding salt to the dough is for the taste. Salt gives to breads that well rounded taste which is impossible to obtain without this mineral.
But, there are other improvements that salt can give to a dough; More on the technological aspect:

1.It affects fermentation. Since the dawn of the cook, salt have been used to preserve aliments from bacterias and natural decomposition (which starts with a fermentation). Then it' s not surprising if salt can slow down fer,mentation in doughs too. Of course you need a lot of salt to compromise a fermentation, but it will be slowed down for sure.

2.It affects rheologycal properties of gluten and so of doughs. Salt help to bond proteins with water strenghtening bounds as well as giving rigidity to the gluten's structure.


I always look for unrefined salts for baking since they tend to be more natural as well as they dissolve in water less rapidly. Which kind I would use every time is just a matter of personal preference as well as disponibility at the moment.